Alexandra Kay Breaks Her Silence on CMA Awards Snub: “It Hit Me Hard”
By Website Content Manager
“I recently learned that I wasn’t among the nominees for a CMA Award…”
Alexandra Kay has opened up about the disappointment she experienced after the latest CMA Awards nominations were announced on Thursday.
In an emotional video posted on social media, the country singer spoke candidly about hearing the nominees announced and realizing that her name had not been included, particularly in the New Artist of the Year category.
Kay admitted that she had not necessarily expected to receive a nomination. In her view, she hadn’t considered the past year successful enough to make her feel like an obvious contender for the award. However, she pointed out that she was eligible for consideration, marking her first year taking a song to country radio.
Her single “Straight For the Heart” had also made an impact on the country charts, reaching No. 26. Kay emphasized that every step up the chart represented a significant amount of work and dedication on her part.
The CMA disappointment came during an already difficult period for the singer. Around the same time, she was informed that her song would no longer receive promotional support at country radio because its chart position had stopped progressing.
Kay described the news as heartbreaking, saying she had worked extremely hard for every position the song achieved. Being told that the track’s campaign was ending left her feeling devastated and triggered many of the same emotions she experienced when she learned she had not received a CMA nomination.
She explained that, during moments she views as personal failures, she tends to experience an overwhelming mix of emotions. Those feelings can include crying, frustration, self-doubt, anger and questioning whether she is truly making an impact.
Rather than pretending the disappointment didn’t affect her, Kay said she believes it’s important to give herself permission to experience those emotions. Her boyfriend, Rocko, supported her during the difficult moment, holding her as she allowed herself to process everything.
Kay also explained that she has learned not to stay in that emotional state for too long. While she once tried following the idea that failure should only be felt briefly before immediately moving forward, she realized that approach simply wasn’t right for her.
Instead, she gives herself a limited amount of time to acknowledge the setback before focusing on getting back up. Kay stressed that resilience isn’t about avoiding failure or having fewer obstacles. For her, real success comes from being able to recover and continue moving forward after something doesn’t go as planned.